Topic: Got Netflix on my Sony Dash - coming to the Android app anytime soon?

HuluPlus would also be cool.

Another thought I had is that I'd love to be able to manage my Dash from an Android app...

Anyone find any useful or interesting ways to use Chumby on Android? It is neat but I'm drawing a blank for ways to actually use it.

Re: Got Netflix on my Sony Dash - coming to the Android app anytime soon?

Netflix does not support Android, due to security issues.

Re: Got Netflix on my Sony Dash - coming to the Android app anytime soon?

Duane, I know they say that, but I don't believe it.

I think Netflix signed a deal with Microsoft involving the use of Silverlight and they just won't support a *nix-based platform that MS isn't invested in (as they are in Apple.)

With a PC, or maybe even with a jail broken iPhone, many of us in this forum could pirate a Netflix stream, so how is Android any less secure than a Windows PC?

Do you really believe that Android is anymore "insecure" for content providers than a PC or are you just relaying the tired FUD that Netflix is spouting?

Maybe I am missing something - maybe Android OS is less secure for content providers.

Re: Got Netflix on my Sony Dash - coming to the Android app anytime soon?

The Dash you own is a *nix based platform that supports Netflix which pretty much invalidates your theory... not to mention that if Microsoft exerted that sort of control over Netflix' platform choice you wouldn't see Netflix on the PS3, etc.

Since the core of Android is GPL-based (like all Linux kernels) and the OS is splintered into many distributions (each device maker basically uses their own specialized build) there's not really a way for Netflix to implement a player that will work across all Android devices (or even a major subset of them) while maintaining a secure channel from the server to the physical framebuffer.   When you control the hardware and the OS build as Sony does with the Dash, this issue can be worked around (at least enough to placate the content providers who are ultimately the ones who force Netflix to remain off of platforms that can't be 'secured'), but that doesn't work when you want to target Android across every device.

The issue isn't that "Android" is insecure insomuch as it is that they can't secure the content they are displaying from easy capture when running across all Android devices.   Ultimately the content is insecure on any platform if for no other reason than the analog loophole which makes any audio/video copyable, but as long as the content providers demand end-to-end DRM (and they still do in most cases), that's pretty much irrelevant to this issue.

Re: Got Netflix on my Sony Dash - coming to the Android app anytime soon?

Here's my personal opinion:

The problem is not such much Android itself, but rather some very widely deployed broken implementations.

Having written the chumby app for Android and run into some of these issues myself, I do believe Netflix in this instance.  Many devices are out there that are simply done wrong, in some cases *really* wrong.  Superficially it seems fine, but when you dig a bit it's clear something's not right.

I suspect the reason for this is that many of the Android implementations are actually done by the silicon vendors, and provided as a turnkey OS to the OEMs to make their devices.  The problem is that silicon vendors make nice silicon, but that skill doesn't necessarily translate well to software development.

Couple this with the number of hacked and jailbroken devices, I think Netflix is understandably nervous.  They live and die by the quality of their ability to protect the streamed content, otherwise the studios will take it all away.  Netflix is notorious in the industry for having the toughest certification requirements.

It's not like Netflix has an particular aversion to Linux - after all, the Sony dash is running on Linux, and Netflix is available there.  I've seen and worked with other Linux-based devices that support it as well, and I can assure you that none of them are running Silverlight in any form.

I'm not sure what Google is going to do about this - the increasing fragmentation of Android is going to be a big problem and I hope they get a handle on it somehow, hopefully soon.

Re: Got Netflix on my Sony Dash - coming to the Android app anytime soon?

@gmcbay thanks for using logic and reason to shoot my holes in my hair-trigger suspicions of MS. Give me a second, let me remove my tin foil hat.

I think DRM end-to-end is the key requirement, albeit there isn't a DRM on the market today that couldn't be hacked either through the analog hole or through other exploits yet to be discovered. DVD encryption, various music DRM schemes, Blueray even. The illusion of DRM "end-to-end" is a business fallacy that is costing corporate content brokers a ton of consumer ill-will and disloyalty.

All Netflix is doing is alienating paying customers of adequate intelligence that WILL figure out how to pay someone else for the services s/he wants on the devices s/he want.

And as the Studios sow all their bad karma and alienate sophisticated fans, they open up opportunities for niche content creators & brokers (podcasters, youtube TV shows, localized DIY content et cetera).

As far as the illusion of a "secure channel," I could be wrong, but I think the Roku is Linux and Netflix can be run on Ubuntu (via a VM running XP).  Each of these use cases illustrates possible weak points in the DRM. By virtualizing the OS, a kind of man-in-the-middle attack could intercept decoded video whilst still in a digital format. On Roku, I could imagine some clever boy or girl packet sniffing and hacking the Roku OS to figure out how to make it work natively in Linux.

My thoughts on Android fragmentation: I'm not sure that Android is nearly as splintered as the iPhone-loving Jobs-bots want people to believe. Yes - the carriers compete with the Studios to see who can screw their customers most viciously, but there are TONS of sophisticated apps that run seamlessly on a great diversity of Android devices. And yes, premium content providers do serve copyright sensitive content to Android.

So, yes, my Dash is a *nix based platform made less open by a multinational corporation with a huge stake in controlling content of major studios. Again, controls in place are just temporary annoyances for customers that actually pay for all their content and who simply want to own our devices and our viewing experiences. So, the studio execs feel warm, fuzzy and secure but all they are really doing is pissing off paying customers while dishonest people as smart & smarter than honest customers steal the "secured" content the big boys have worked so hard to tie down.

And yeah, maybe there are some minor things to iron out on Android, but Sirius/XM (and media power houses like Howard Stern & Oprah) have found a way to

implement a player that will work across [...] Android devices [...] while maintaining a secure channel from the server to the physical framebuffer.

Netflix has some super-smart people making things happen for them - I find it hard to believe that they can't figure out what Sirius/XM has figured out. So I'm not sure who it is, but I still suspect that someone is strong-arming Netflix into not supporting Android.

I'm not sure I agree with you on all your points, but I appreciate your comments.

Re: Got Netflix on my Sony Dash - coming to the Android app anytime soon?

@Duane, thx for the thoughtful reply.

@gmcbay - I made a comparison of XM to Netflix - the problem with my comparison is that XM owns their content, Netflix "borrows" it from license holders that have fought tooth & nail against the Internet age and consumers.

I don't envy Netflix's position - but I am stoked that they manage the impossible line so well - they have made me a decent bit of money in the stock market.

Duane, I'd be curious to know more details on Android implemented *really* wrongly.

I think Windows had some of these problems early on - every hardware maker tried to "skin" Windows to much failure. Are you speaking to something worse than just bad skin jobs 8) ? I am genuinely interested in your take.

8 (edited by cseftor 2011-01-05 07:07:17)

Re: Got Netflix on my Sony Dash - coming to the Android app anytime soon?

3thom wrote:

HuluPlus would also be cool.

Another thought I had is that I'd love to be able to manage my Dash from an Android app...

Anyone find any useful or interesting ways to use Chumby on Android? It is neat but I'm drawing a blank for ways to actually use it.

I don't have a Chumby at work because I couldn't hook it up to our local WiFi due to security issues (plus I don't necessarily want to buy a new Chumby or leave it at work all the time).   But I always have my Droid docked at work to keep it charged.  Since I installed the Chumby app, I have the option of running it when the Droid is docked.  So I now have a pseudo Chumby at work. 

Pretty neat.

Re: Got Netflix on my Sony Dash - coming to the Android app anytime soon?

Dear Dwayne can you put netflix on my phone?

Re: Got Netflix on my Sony Dash - coming to the Android app anytime soon?

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